Why Most Businesses Skip Vetting — and Regret It
The average business spends more time comparing phone plans than evaluating a marketing agency they will pay ₹3–15 lakh per month. Proposals are polished. Case studies are curated. Pitches are rehearsed. And by the time the contract is signed, you have no idea what you actually bought.
In 2026, with hundreds of agencies competing for every brief, the ability to vet properly is the difference between a compounding growth partner and a year of expensive lessons. This guide gives you the framework — questions, signals, and verification steps — to find the real ones.
Step 1 — Verify Their Own Marketing Performance
An agency that cannot market itself convincingly cannot market your business effectively. Before the first call, check:
- Their website's SEO: Do they rank for terms their clients should care about? Use Ahrefs or Semrush free tools to check their domain rating and organic traffic.
- Content quality: Are their blogs specific and well-researched, or generic and keyword-stuffed? Read three posts.
- Social presence: Are they consistent and engaged, or posting sporadically with low interaction?
- LinkedIn team profiles: Do the people listed have real expertise? Look for career progression, not just titles.
An agency ranking for "marketing agency [city]" with quality content, active social presence, and a team with verifiable backgrounds has cleared the first bar. One that cannot do this for itself will struggle to do it for you.
Step 2 — Interrogate the Case Studies
Every agency has case studies. Most are carefully curated to show only peak results in ideal conditions. Push deeper:
- Ask for the full journey — including what did not work and how they adjusted.
- Request anonymised analytics screenshots, not just summarised numbers in a PDF.
- Check if the cited client still works with the agency — if not, why not?
- Ask if the results are attributable to their work specifically, or to market tailwinds (a brand selling a viral product will grow regardless of agency quality).
Ask: "What is a campaign that did not go as planned, and how did you handle it?" The answer reveals more about an agency's actual culture than any case study ever will.
Step 3 — The Transparency Test Questions
These questions are designed to surface honesty, not catch agencies out. Confident, transparent agencies answer them directly. Evasive answers are the signal:
| Question | What a Good Answer Looks Like |
|---|---|
| Who specifically will work on my account? | Named people with roles and responsibilities, not "our team" |
| Can I see a sample monthly report? | Immediately shares one — ideally with commentary explaining decisions |
| What happens if results are below targets? | Clear escalation process, commitment to transparency, no blame-deflection |
| Do I own my ad accounts and creative assets? | Unconditional yes — you own everything, at all times |
| Have you ever lost a client — why? | Honest answer with context; not "all clients love us" or defensive deflection |
| How do you communicate bad news? | Proactive, structured process — not "we flag it in the next monthly call" |
Step 4 — Call the References. Actually Call Them.
Written testimonials are meaningless — they are curated. Live references are where vetting happens. When you call, ask:
- Did the agency hit the targets they pitched you?
- How was communication when things went wrong?
- Were there billing surprises or scope creep?
- What is the biggest disappointment?
- Would you renew — and why or why not?
A strong agency will provide references without hesitation. If they offer only written testimonials, provide contacts who are slow to respond, or limit what you can ask — treat this as a serious red flag.
Step 5 — Review the Proposal for Depth
A proposal written in 24 hours with no specific research on your business is a template pitch. A proposal that demonstrates real understanding takes time and shows up differently:
- Specific references to your competitors, market, and current position
- Clear rationale for channel choices — not "we recommend social + SEO + paid" applied generically
- Realistic timelines with milestones, not just output lists
- Defined success metrics tied to your business goals, not just vanity metrics
Shallow proposals reveal shallow thinking. If they cannot invest proper research time in the pitch, they will not invest it in execution either.
Red Flags That Should Make You Walk Away
- Guaranteed rankings or ROAS: No legitimate agency guarantees search rankings or specific ad returns — Google's algorithm and market conditions are not within anyone's control.
- Pressure to sign quickly: "This price expires Friday" is a sales tactic, not a business reason. Take the time you need.
- Vague on ownership: Any hesitation on whether you own your ad accounts, website, creative, or data is a non-starter.
- No named team members: "Our team" without names means you have no idea who will actually work on your account.
- Unverifiable testimonials: Logos without contacts, quotes without names, or testimonials you cannot trace to real companies.
The best agencies are not the ones who never make mistakes. They are the ones who tell you when they do, and fix them faster than you can ask.
What Good Vetting Looks Like in Practice
Set a two-week vetting window. In week one: assess the proposal, check their own marketing, and request references. In week two: call references, run the transparency test questions in a second call, and review the contract for asset ownership and exit terms.
Budget vetting time the same way you budget agency fees. The cost of skipping it is not just money — it is the 6–12 months you will spend before you realise the relationship is not working.